Makani Golf Club

This course is one of my favorites on the Big Island. Pace of play was very good. I completed my round in about three hours. Fairways and green were in great shape and the rough was penal as it should be. That said probably could be mowed an inch or so lower. It would further speed pace of play which is very important in todays golfing world.

This course will definitely be one of my choices when I return to Hawaii.

P.S. The gentleman from Louisiana serving as the starter was great.

The course is in excellent condition overall. A few brown spots. There were no drink cart , so bring your own water. There was no marshal around. Our round took just over 5 hours which I think is ridiculous given the course was not busy. The foursome, two groups ahead could not keep up with a five-some in front of us. The people tee off an hour after us caught up with us on 14.

The course is very challenging with trees, elevation changes, and water along the fairways and greens. Holes 17 and 18 mirror holes 17 and 4 at TPC Sawgrass on a smaller scale.

There were goats, chickens, turkeys, and geese on the course.

I arrived about 90 minutes early, checked in, hit balls and teed off about an hour before my starting time (this allowed me to travel to Hilo afterwards). Course knowledge is key. The fairways and greens were in great shape probably due to the amount of rain the course gets. Bring rain gear and an umbrella. For me, it was a light rain for only four holes.

I cannot wait to get back to the big island to play it again. I'll definitely play it differently next time.

We played this course twice before on previous visits to The Big Island when it was called "Big Island Country Club". It was so nicely kept up back than. We were so very disappointed that this gem of a course has been let go. It was ALL weeds and we could barely see where the fairway and the rough were divided. We arrived approximately 50 mins early for our tee time and the lady would not let us check in. As we waited for over a half hour NOBODY else tee'd off. That was unacceptable!!! We can see if other players already had tee times but all tee times leading up to our time were still open (I checked on my phone). We will never play this course again next time we visit.

Recently punched Greens. Having no data service layout was not predictable. Should have a Yardage book.

Makani is a beautiful course with many stunning views of the northeastern coast of the big island. The course itself is challenging for most players with a risk/reward shot making on most holes, especially the closing holes. It is well maintained, beautiful to look at and fun to play. If you live on Hawaii (you lucky bugger!) or are going to visit the big island and you golf, put this one on your bucket list. The only downside is a lack of a proper cafe, but they do have a small stand for beers and snacks.

This course was supposed to be the centerpiece of a housing development that never took off. I played it 20 years ago and compared to today, it is actually in better shape than I remember. The greens had been recently punched, but other than that, it was a fun and challenging course. Not crowded, I finished 18 holes in 2.5 hours, which I loved. The layout is a bit tricky but once you figure it out, it is a fun course. The people are great too. The only drawback is its lack of a real cafe, but other than that, if you’re visiting Waikoloa, drive the 30 minutes and play Makani Golf Club, you won’t be disappointed.

This is one of our favorite courses we’ve ever played!! The course is pristine and the temperatures were perfect! The greens had been aerated but that’s just part of maintenance. Views are incredible from every hole!

Makani is a very well kept course with plenty of challenge. We started around 11 am with not a cloud in the sky. We were not allowed to drive our cart 50 ft to our car to load up or 40 ft to the driving range???? A bit inconvenient. Then a good 1/2 mile drive to the first tee. We really loved the condition of the course. Greens were very readable and in good shape. The rough gets very high just off the fairways though in many places. Many holes with water hazards. Pace of play was great and many outstanding ocean and Mountain View’s. We were told by staff and other golfers that afternoon rain is regular. We expected mist but got sideways downpours around 1:30 pm. Very hard to play with wet grips and being soggy at 70 degrees at elevation. Bring rain gear including pants and towel to keep grips dry. Hole 17 is really tough because you have to come down with a lot of back spin to stay on the green. There is almost no fringe. Would play again and better prepared for rain.

A nice course. Some challenging holes because of lack of yardage markers. Wind came up near the end of the round and made the last few holes pretty difficult. But it was fun and I would play it again.

The lady in the Proshop was very nice. Made for a nice start.

More water available would have been helpful on a warm day

The course itself is alright; however, there are several things that would keep me from going back. The course has absolutely no helpful visible yardage markers (there are the ones on the tee box and a few scattered on the fairway though). Also, no helpful map at the hole or on the scorecard. While this shouldn’t have been an issue, half the holes are blind and without the assistance of the map the club choice becomes more difficult. It didn’t help that I forgot my Garmin watch. No clubhouse (only a shell). Lastly, being a high mountain course there was a lot of wind (especially on the back nine 25+ mph!). The course staff seemed VERY willing to help but came across as a little too enthusiastic given the limitations of amenities. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Played all courses but Mauna Lani and this course is the best- make sure you play it at the beginning of your trip because you will be back- one of Dyes best